Grateful

So grateful to YHVH for His grace, forgiveness, patience and help.

God opened a door to do some design work for this Messianic youth magazine called Harvest Mag. I feel more and more God calling me to walk out His Word, His commands, His desires for me and everyone without shame  with grace, mercy and humility in my heart and on my sleeve.

Thank you God, Baruch Adonai

Thoughts on death, friends, faith...

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.    Psalm 23:4

Just got back from a funeral of a guy I knew in high school who had a rather tragic death. I got to see quite a few friends there. Some of which I stay in pretty good contact while others I haven't seen practically since high school. We did a lot of reminiscing, a little talking, hugging... I find it difficult when hanging out with that group of friends because most of them are either atheists or Mormons. All of them know I am a believer (and a few of them even know I've moved to more of a Messianic faith) and I've even had talks about faith on a deeper level with a few of them. But overall we stick to just the regular stuff, "So what do you do now? How's the family? Where are you living? How's the weather like-?".

Its fun to see these friends. They're really physically affectionate which I love :). But, also... it makes my stomach hurt and makes me deeply sad at times.

Funerals are so humbling for me. Beliefs about the afterlife are SO different! Even (and almost especially) in all the areas of Christianity. Being someone who is fairly opinionated and passionate (though maybe not always vocally) about what I believe about things, God really showed me this time, when I was really frustrated with what was being said at the funeral (because I disagreed with it) God was sort of quieting me. He was reminding me that really, every person on this earth cannot have an absolutely true understanding of what happens when we die. Though I am super confident about YHVH, who He is and what He's about (though I obviously don't know everything) the afterlife is not super discussed fully in the Bible, thus I have an idea, but I understand that we all do not have a perfect knowledge of it. Its really a mystery.

I really struggled with wanting to go to this funeral or not, but I feel like God might have had me go to really, just love. Just show my support. Be a shoulder to cry on. Hands and ears to comfort. And really silently pray for the comfort and true salvation of my friends.

I definitely think there is a time to share faith, to question friends beliefs and challenge them to examine their lives. I also believe, God is teaching me this a TON lately, that there is a time for everything. This time was a time to be present and be quite and let God do some ministering.

Shabbat Shalom

:)
 

A little encouragement

Here is Charles Spurgeon's commentary on Psalm 37:34-

"Wait on the Lord." We have here the eighth precept, and it is a lofty eminence to attain to. Tarry the Lord's leisure. Wait in obedience as a servant, in hope as an heir, in expectation as a believer. This little word "wait" is easy to say, but hard to carry out, yet faith must do it. "And keep his way." Continue in the narrow path; let no haste for riches or ease cause unholy action. Let your motto be, "On, on, on," Never flag, or dream of turning aside. "He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved." "And he shall exalt thee to inherit the land." Thou shalt have all of earthly good which is really good, and of heavenly good there shall be no stint. Exaltation shall be the lot of the excellent. "When the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it." A sight how terrible and how instructive! What a rebuke for fretfulness! what an incentive to gratitude! My soul, be still, as thou foreseest the end, the awful end of the Lord's enemies.

Got this from using the FREE software eSword. Totally recommend it!

Worried Song Bird

BEAUTIFUL song, a collab of one of the greater banjo players of our time and I think a well known African singer! I LOVE the sound of her rich, strong, clear voice with the distinct constant plucking of the banj :) I'm really sad I haven't found this sooner in my life!

Enjoy and shalom!

... Free at last

Just listened to Dr. Kings speech for a lesson plan I'm writing.

Lately not much has changed. I still sometimes feel stuck and still feel more than ever Gods constant calling to repentance and calling for my life to change and become more like His Son. Yom Kippur is soon coming, the day in which we are to humble ourselves and seek the Lord in confession and for forgiveness.

Listening to Kings speech reminds me once again to care about the injustices I see and to look into myself to make sure I am standing up for truth. It also reminded me, along with a lot of other things recently, to persevere for the right thing. Racism still exists today, maybe not as prevalent but it still does. Does that mean we just give up and let it keep going? Absolutely not.

Just because I still struggle with the same bad habit's as I have for a long time should I just let them slide? Absolutely not.

I don't know if you celebrate Yom Kippur, but I recommend on Saturday at some point, take time to come clean before the Lord. Ask Him to search you and be willing to confess and stop doing what He's asking you to stop with the strength He gives you.

It will be worth the fight. Persevere.

When we allow freedom to ring-when we let it ring

from every city and every hamlet, from every state and

every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all

of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and

Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join

 

hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual,

"Free at last, Free at last, Great God a-mighty, We are free at last."

 

 

  “He who has an ear, let him hear...To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’ Revelation 2:7

A statement on the Palestinian conflict

I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. (Zechariah 12:2-3)

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. (Psalm 122:6)

God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever. (2 Chronicles 33:7) 

For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. (Isaiah 62:1)

Beautiful Quote

“We shall begin to understand the link between law and liberty if we go back to the very moment of the law giving at Mount Sinai. The LORD is speaking (Exodus 20:22) to those whom He has brought out of Egypt. They have been redeemed (Exodus 6:6) and the means of their redemption was the blood of the lamb (Exodus 12:13).

We see then that the LORD gives His law, not as a means to salvation but as a lifestyle for those who have already been saved. It is the way He wants His redeemed ones to live.

But then he goes on to say that He is speaking to those for whom He has brought out of bondage (Exodus 20:2b) not to those whom He is bringing into bondage by imposing His law upon them, but those who are now for the first time enjoying liberty and to whom He gives His perfect law in order to safe guard the freedom He has secured for them. 

True freedom is the opportunity and the ability to give expression to what we truly are. We are truly free when we live the life appropriate to those who are created in the image of God.

The Law of God safeguards that liberty for us, but it does even more for obedience brings life and power (Leviticus 18:5) (Deuteronomy 4:1a) (Acts 5:32).

The Law of God is the Law of liberty because it safeguards, expresses and enables the life of true freedom into which Christ has brought us.

This is the blessing of which James speaks the blessing of a full life, a true humanity; obedience is the key factor in our enjoyment of it.”

J.A. Motyer, The Message of James